Plant Propagation

Chapter Two - Biology of Plant Propagation

Over the course of thousands of years, humans have unintentionally and intentionally manipulated the genetics of plants around the world. When a plant with desirable traits has been discovered/created by unintentional, amateur or professional plant breeders, "capturing" and perpetuating these desirable traits became the responsibility of people skilled in the art and science of plant propagation.

In this chapter we will learn about the relationship between seedling life cycles and clonal life cycles, the powerful role environmental conditions play in the variable expression of a plant's "genotype," and the critical role that "totipotency," "dedifferentiation," and "redifferentiation" play in the clonal reproduction of plants.